Watermakers - Is the Market about to Change?

[Snore]

Next redesign will probably be to push the raw water in the middle and the permeate leaves off both end caps. That is the latest I've seen in water plants. This is supposed to reduce pumping costs.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

My understand is that the spinning hard drive was obsoleted years ago, but as it keeps falling in price compared to storage capacity, it's still with us.
Another way of saying that for new tech to become common, it has to be economically viable as well.

Excellent point!

I keep hoping that the powers in charge in CA wake up and start financing graphene filter research in an effort to build huge desal plants to alleviate our massive decades long drought.

But the fact that they haven't done anything yet after decades, besides institute fines for wasting water (narc on your neighbor you dislike) just proves that they deserve every bit of my disdain.

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by travellerw

Please post some links to examples.. I know of no other pumps on the market that compete with the clark pump. There are lots of pressure pumps on the market, but they do not compete with the clark pump. There is no other system that can produce the pressures required at that low wattage.

I did NOT say pumps, I said UNITS, as watermakers... dont want to get into a watermaker fight,
And I AM a roving dealer for Spectra, I know the product, And I also know of many different Watermakers including 120 volt ac and engine drivin units that compete with Spectra.. I've had to sell against them for years..
We just sold our Ventura, and going to a large volume AC unit..
Spectra is a good watermaker, but not the best for our needs.....

By the way, the clark pump is NOT a stand alone pump, might not call it a pump anyway.
Its a vessel that increses preasure.. without a primary pump, its just a piece of plastic and fittings..

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by travellerw

That is very interesting.. That glycol pump does appear very similar, not exactly the same, but close. In fact its close enough that it would probably invalidate the clark pump patent I posted earlier. It appears Kimray patented that design in the late sixties.

Of course someone with deep enough pockets would have to challenge the patent in court, citing prior art making the clark patent "not novel".

I have also heard about low pressure membranes using both graphene and nano tubes. I would guess that those innovations are at least 7-10 years away before being readily available. Then there will be the standard teething issues common with new innovation. Frankly, the current high pressure thick membranes will be with us for quite a while.

I'm pretty confident we will see some strong competition in the next 1 or 2 years.

I've seen a very very similar design in the hydraulic systems of subs, we called them pilot valves or spool valves. It allowed the helmsman and planesman to move the stick (nearly identical to a pilot's) with minimal effort to port hydraulic fluid at thousands of psi to rapidly adjust the huge 35 ft tall rudders, bow (or sail) and stern planes.

[NoTies]

At least Schenker and Sea recovery use similar technology energy recovery devices. Too busy to find a link right now but back in the sixties? Kiwi farmers were using a pump they dropped in a strem to pump water back up the hill to feed troughs. Used the water flow of the stream as the energy source to power the pump.

[onestepcsy37]

Originally Posted by NoTies

At least Schenker and Sea recovery use similar technology energy recovery devices. Too busy to find a link right now but back in the sixties? Kiwi farmers were using a pump they dropped in a strem to pump water back up the hill to feed troughs. Used the water flow of the stream as the energy source to power the pump.

Now you're showing your age! Back in the days of hippies and communes and The Mother Earth News they occasionally ran articles with titles like 'Make Water Run Uphill!'. I forget the name of the device/contraption/setup but it was basically pipes and valves and made it possible to pipe water from the stream down in the ravine up to your marijuana plants growing on the hillside.
Those were the days...

[a64pilot]

motive flow, or jet-pumps

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

dosent really mater if the pump is avalable within a year or so to anyone to build including china.. Many other units are on the market that compete with the clark pump.
and comming from china, we've all seen what happens with quality products being farmed out to be built in china.. do we need to bring up anchors for instance..

We could bring up anchors, but we could also bring up Apple products, right?

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by avb3

We could bring up anchors, but we could also bring up Apple products, right?

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by avb3

We could bring up anchors, but we could also bring up Apple products, right?

No kidding. People still want to characterize Chinese products as poor quality, when in fact a lot of the steel used in everything comes from there, not to mention an entire bridge for San Francisco, most of the electronics, almost all of the optics used in even high end scopes and equipment, most of the solar panels, most computer parts and chips (think Broadcomm, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm) and tons of other stuff they own that they think is built somewhere else.

It's a global economy. Hell, a friend of mine runs a multimillion $ bicycle company out of his million $ motorhome. The factory is in China, he handles everything via email and Skype.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

It's a global economy. Hell, a friend of mine runs a multimillion $ bicycle company out of his million $ motorhome. The factory is in China, he handles everything via email and Skype.

Giant?

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

not to mention an entire bridge for San Francisco,.

Nope, your wrong, the major part of the bridge was built in Stockton and transported down river by barge.. would set at the Stockton Sailing Club and watch it go by.
Only the major span was built in china and it was done under direct supervision from Caltrans , on site, in china... I was a special inspector on the project.

The only way anything worth a damn comes out of china is with direct supervision from a third party inspection, on site, durring production...

Odd that you mention Bicycles .. I was a major partner in a hi-end shop for years and the only thing comming out of china are desposable bikes.. when they break, you throw them away and go buy a new one.. as most of the products on the market these days..............

[sy_gilana]

There are a number of derivatives of the "Clark Pump" Some of these are patented in their own right being significantly different. You can take a look at http://www.eco-sistems.com/en

I think these have the best water per watt/hour ratio of any watermaker.

The next big thing is Graphene, which will potentially de-salinate water at one bar, 14.7 PSI differential. They are having problems with supporting the Graphene. Biggest advances are being made in the brewery industry (SAB Miller etc.)

I would not mind a Beer-Maker on board who needs water?

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

Nope, your wrong, the major part of the bridge was built in Stockton and transported down river by barge..

The only way anything worth a damn comes out of china is with direct supervision from a third party inspection, on site, durring production.

So first you ding someone for a over general statement not supported by the facts and then don't even notice that you follow it up a few sentences later with a comparable generalization. Even as you type the response on your made in China computer....funny.

[barnakiel]

The pumps are expensive to make.

I think it will all change if graphene membranes catch up.

b.